Chapter 411
Once the snake chain is activated, it cannot be turned off voluntarily; one must eliminate the target within the time loop to unlock it.
If multiple cycles fail to kill the opponent, the snake chain will, like a curse, repeatedly consume its own flesh and blood—this imposes a natural limit on the number of times the snake chain can be used, a restriction absent in other forms of "uniqueness."
Although he can replenish his flesh and blood through the "Newborn" or "Coroner" pathways, the snake chain devours his most fundamental essence, and one day, it will completely consume his brain.
When that day comes, if his flesh, organs, and even his brain are no longer his own, will he still be "Qiangyin"?
This urgency is something Qiangyin has only come to realize in recent decades. He had tried to use this "uniqueness" to help himself ascend to the fifth tier, but it was utterly futile—this "uniqueness" does not belong to his path.
Even if he holds the "uniqueness," he can only use it as a consumable.
Qiangyin has seen other forms of "uniqueness," and it is precisely because he has seen them that he understands they do not come with such limitations on usage.
This is a necessity for becoming a god; such restrictions cannot exist unless the "uniqueness" itself is incomplete.
Thus, he began to seek ways to "neutralize" this side effect, to extend the snake chain's lifespan. After all, everything he has gained so far has come from the snake chain.
At first, he worried that someone might come to "reclaim" the snake chain from him, but after countless time loops, he has largely shed that fear.
Because this power to traverse time is unprecedented, uniquely his.
As his strength continues to grow, he no longer fears others coming to retrieve the chain; instead, he seeks to find the other components of the chain. He wants a complete "uniqueness" item.
To increase the usage of the chain, he has made many attempts.
He began to pursue the birth of offspring, as their flesh and blood would be more in tune with him. Until he inadvertently discovered the Order of the God of Order's teaching plan, another idea surged into his mind.
As long as he could become the master of the "artificial divine essence," he would break free from the shackles of the flesh, controlling countless avatars with his consciousness. He would no longer be troubled by the decay of flesh and blood, nor would he have to worry about lifespan or madness.
If the plan succeeds, he would be invincible in the world.
But just then, a black-haired girl squatted in front of him, smiling as she revealed her greatest trump card and its most significant flaw.
At the same time... she produced a silver pocket watch.
The moment Qiangyin saw the watch, he knew that the snake chain was the watch chain, the very chain that should exist on this pocket watch.
It was the other components of his snake chain's "uniqueness"...
"This is my thing... I found it... I found you!" Qiangyin's expression began to twist.
He could no longer maintain the composure and calm he had just displayed; the greed in his eyes was laid bare.
This was what he had been desperately pursuing—the other components of the snake chain's "uniqueness"!
"Oh?" Xia'er shook the pocket watch in her hand, smiling with relief. "Yours?"
Now the tables had truly turned.
It seemed that with Qiangyin's self-awareness, Xia'er could extract nothing from him.
Xia'er stood up and turned to Eleanor behind her, asking, "Do you have any familiar 'Luminous Bishops' or 'Missionaries' who can brainwash him?"
"Of course," Eleanor replied. "But... given Qiangyin's mental strength, he might resist for a long time... If we increase the manpower, it will make more people aware of Qiangyin's situation."
"I'm afraid I can't guarantee that every follower will be absolutely loyal."
At this point, Eleanor lowered her head slightly, as if she was quite concerned about this.
"That's fine; didn't you hear him?" Xia'er said nonchalantly. "Time will restart at a specific moment, and Qiangyin doesn't even know when that will be—only I do... So, just do what you need to do."
"What information do you need about him?" Eleanor asked, looking at Xia'er.
If she had any doubts about Xia'er's abilities before, witnessing Xia'er break Qiangyin's defenses had completely won her over.
She had to strive to ally with Xia'er and the mysterious organization behind her; Eleanor sensed this was one of the few ways to break the deadlock for the Church of the Savior Goddess.
"How quickly can you brainwash him?" Xia'er inquired.
Xia'er didn't have much time left in the simulation; she just hoped the brainwashing could be done as quickly as possible.
"I'll try... within six... no, five hours," Eleanor said.
"Then I'll wait for your good news," Xia'er said, looking at Eleanor. "After the brainwashing... you can find me at Aivina Russell's house; you should be able to figure out the address."
"Okay..." Eleanor nodded, hesitating for a moment before asking, "What are you going to do? Do you need my help?"
"No, that's not necessary."
Xia'er shook her head.
"Because I'm going back to sleep."
Eleanor: "..."
Eleanor escorted Mond, who had been implanted with Qiangyin's correct memories, back to the Church of the Savior Goddess.
Meanwhile, Xia'er chose not to ride the shabby carriage of the Church but instead took a public carriage to Aivina's home.
At that moment, Aivina must still be worrying about her; with less than eleven hours left in the simulation, Xia'er couldn't let Aivina spend the remaining time in fear.
After all, Mond's issue had been resolved, and she had learned about Mond's schedule and plans. With the remaining time, there wasn't much she could do but wait for Eleanor to decode Qiangyin's memories.
...
"Miss, please eat something."
"Thank you, I'm not very hungry."
In Aivina's large mansion, in the study, Nia was softly urging Aivina from behind.
But it seemed that Aivina, who hadn't slept a wink all night, was engrossed in the book in her hands, trying to calm herself through reading, to avoid spiraling into anxious thoughts.
Yet even so, she was merely flipping through the pages mechanically, the content failing to penetrate her mind. Her thoughts were sluggish and dull, her dark purple pupils as still as stagnant water.
"Ah!!!!"
Just then, a maid's scream shattered the tranquility of the study.
Aivina turned to look at Nia, who nodded slightly and said, "It came from the second floor. I'll go check on it."
Nia quickly walked to the door, glancing at Tara, who was standing at the entrance in her maid outfit, eyes closed in meditation. She asked, "Tara, could you check the second floor?"
During this time, Nia and Tara seemed to have grown closer; one was Xia'er's guard, the other Aivina's, and as fellow protectors, they had found some common ground.
"Sure." Tara said nothing more and slowly made her way to the second floor.
Upon reaching the source of the scream, Tara saw a maid sitting on the floor and asked, "What happened?"
"There... there's a corpse! Someone's... dead!!!"
The maid trembled as she pointed toward the bathroom, then scrambled to her feet and ran toward the stairs, seemingly to find the butler.
A corpse?
Tara approached the bathroom door, opened it, and the rising steam slightly obscured her vision.
She walked straight in, her eyes scanning the ground where a dirty, blood-stained trench coat and clothes lay, the scent of blood overpowering the soap and fragrance in the bathroom.
Two white figures appeared behind Tara as she looked toward the bathtub.
Inside the pure copper, gold-plated bathtub filled with warm water lay a figure with long black hair, face down, as if drowned.
Just as Tara was about to move closer, her delicate nose twitched slightly, and she paused, then a faint smile appeared on her face.
Amidst the blood, there was the scent of the Mother Goddess...
Tara knelt before the bathtub and softly said, "Welcome back, Lord Xia'er."
Splash—
A hand emerged from the bathtub, and with almost all its strength, it pulled the head out of the water, resting its chin on the edge of the tub.
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